Identifying ecologically valuable marine areas to support conservation and spatial planning at scales relevant for decision making

Abstract

In 2008, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity introduced the scientific-technical concept of describing Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs). These areas are defined as locations with exceptional ecological or biological characteristics. While EBSAs have been identified across the world´s oceans, they mainly have not been designated at scales relevant for conservation or area-based planning, where decisions are implemented. Here, we describe how the EBSA concept can be applied locally to identify “national EBSAs”. We present the process and criteria that were used in Finland to delineate 87 Ecologically Significant Underwater Marine Areas (EMMAs). This was accomplished by participatory approaches, expert knowledge, and spatial prioritization, based on a spatially explicit dataset on marine species and habitats from 160,000 sites, together with environmental drivers and anthropogenic pressures. The spatial scale of EMMAs was tailored to fit national and local decision-making, contributing to maritime spatial planning, environmental permitting, and the development of marine protected area network. We describe the Finnish EMMA process, highlight critical phases of the work using practical examples and discuss the importance of scales in assessing ecologically and biologically significant areas in different types of marine environments.